A meat producer had alleged ABC's coverage of a beef product was a "disinformation campaign"

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This March 29, 2012, file photo, shows the beef product that critics call "pink slime" during a plant tour of Beef Products Inc. in South Sioux City, Neb. ABC News said it's settled a 2012 defamation case the company brought against it over reports on Beef Products Inc.’s lean, finely textured beef product.

ABC News has reached a settlement with a South Dakota meat producer that filed a $1.9 billion lawsuit against the network over its reports on the company's lean, finely textured beef product that critics dubbed "pink slime," the TV network said Wednesday.

ABC spokeswoman Julie Townsend said in a statement that the network has "reached an amicable resolution of its dispute with the makers" of the beef product. Townsend said the settlement terms are confidential.

"Although we have concluded that continued litigation of this case is not in the Company's interests, we remain committed to the vigorous pursuit of truth and the consumer's right to know about the products they purchase," Townsend said.

Dakota Dunes-based Beef Products Inc. sued the television network in 2012, saying ABC's coverage misled consumers into believing the product is unsafe and led to the closure of three plants and layoffs of roughly 700 workers.

After the reports aired, some grocery store chains said they would stop carrying ground beef that contained the product. BPI claims sales declined from about 5 million pounds per week to less than 2 million pounds per week.

The actual damages BPI was seeking could have been as high as $1.9 billion, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Disney, which owns ABC. BPI was also seeking "treble" damages, or triple the amount, under South Dakota's Agricultural Food Products Disparagement Act and punitive damages.